Product Description

Not another chef's book but a book about English food and English cooking and an English chef. Paul Heathcote is one of the UK's most successful chefs. Since opening his restaurant Heathcote's at Longridge in Lancashire in 1989 he has gained two Michelin stars and was voted Egon Ronay Chef of the Year in 1994. All this, while serving such dishes as black pudding studded with sweetbreads, wing of skate with mussel and celery tartar, roast Goosnargh duck with potato cooked in cider and dumpling made from the leg; pig's trotter stuffed with ham hock and sage, and strawberry shortcake. These are dishes which depend on local producers for the quality of their ingredients. They are distinctively English, distinctively Lancastrian even. They provide the basis for a book celebrating those culinary traditions whose renewal seemed, for a long time, as it would never happen. Lavishly illustrated with photography of both food and the changing seasonal landscape of the Ribble Valley.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #165508 in Books
• Published on: 1998-09-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Rhubarb & Black Pudding is a rare find among books about food. It not only provides fabulous recipes, but it is also a good read. Written by award-winning journalist Matthew Fort, the book serves three functions: it paints a portrait of Michelin and Egon Ronay star chef Paul Heathcote, it records his recipes, and it describes the atmosphere in his restaurants, Manchester's Heathcote's and Preston's Heathcote's Brasserie.

Stunning colour photographs have been used to illustrate the food and emotive black-and-white pictures are used with reportage on kitchen activities, the landscapes of the Ribble Valley and the changing seasons in Lancashire. The book is divided into seasons and clear, concise and very detailed instructions are included in the recipes.

Heathcote's food has been described as similar to the French cuisine du terroir, but it remains distinctively British or even Lancastrian. His approach, in his own words, is to use seasonal ingredients and to avoid fashion trends. He is quoted as saying: "One of the bees in my bonnet is that too many chefs want to cook what's in fashion. They want to put plenty of olive oil and roasted peppers on to their menus, and every restaurant you go to has a similar kind of feel to it. Why can't we use things the same way chefs do in France and Italy, in the villages and bistros. They cook what their suppliers have in season."

The result is pig's trotter filled with ham hock and sage, jellied eel terrine, roast breast of Goosnargh chicken, roast duckling with mead, broth of quail with wild mushrooms, baby leeks and artichokes, and black pudding. Desserts are just as good: apple tarts with gingerbread ice- cream and cider butter, hot banana soufflé, or deep fried Stilton fritters. --Dale Kneen

About the Author
Paul Heathcote was born and brought up in Lancashire. He trained at the Sharow Bay Hotel, the Connaught and Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons. He is perhaps unique in applying the culinary techniques of French cooking to his own quintessentially English fare. He is now much sought after by the media. Matthew Fort is Food and Drink Editor of the Guardian. He has numerous awards including two Glenfiddichs. His family also comes from the Ribble Valley.

Customer Reviews

A year of wonderful food and a wonderful part of the country
The perfect complement to Nigel Slater's 'Real Food', Matthew Fort has done a superb job of detailing the man, the food, the locale. This book brought me out in goosebumps remembering some of the places where I grew up so beautifully photographed and described.

If you're expecting "just a cookery book", then this really should surprise and delight you with its detailed histories and profiles. (And the sweets (wow!)... -- I'm sure I put on half a stone just looking at the photographs!)

Not just your average TV chef, the man that comes across is a passionate believer in the quality of the food he produces, and deeply involved in its sourcing and production.

Cooking
husband loves this cookbook. he has tried several recipes now and i sample them and to be honest they're very tasty.